Black bear sighting disrupts Danville school

A black bear was seen on the Kentucky School for the Deaf’s campus Thursday morning. Danville Police Department

A black bear was seen on the Kentucky School for the Deaf’s campus Thursday morning. Danville Police Department

A Danville school reported a black bear on its grounds this morning.

Danville Police Chief Tony Gray said the bear was first sighted around 6:00 a.m. on Lincoln Avenue. Gray said the bear was then seen at the Kentucky School for the Deaf at about 7:00 a.m. The bear was last seen around 3:30 p.m. at a nearby creek.

KSD Principal Will Begley said he got a call about the bear at about 7:30 a.m and said the school immediately went on lock down since students and staff were inside the school for summer programs. The bear eventually went to a wooded area near the campus.

“Thought it was a joke, but once I started receiving pictures on my phone I knew it was no joke,” Begley wrote in an email.

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Gray said the Department of Fish and Wildlife set a trap for the bear near the creek, but bears will typically return to their natural habitat. Gray said bear sightings are not unusual for the area but it is rare to see a bear in the city limits.

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